The breakthrough
"I want to learn how to learn sounds through actual words mom. That's how I want to learn my sounds. I don't like it mom, when they just take a letter and make you say it over and over and then just have you say words that I don't like".
Really?
you mean you been fighting me for TWO YEARS on learning sounds because you want to learn reading actual words????? and in particular words that you like? Oh okay..
Oh man.. wish I had known that earlier!!!
Would have made it less of a battle. :) Knowing this I can continue to revise our approach to phonics type work.
For instance today I took the book pictured below, and we worked on learning the "u" sound, but I spelled out words rather than having him listen, and we practiced the sound by saying the word.
It's a reversal I think of what most books and videos I've seen do. Most phonics work I've seen starts with the letter, practice the sound, and then see how that sounds fits into a word. So we're doing it backwards a bit. And we'll be using words and books that he likes, we'll use those as building blocks.
We also had fun with some of the words, pictures.
For instance they had a picture of a clock, so said.. check this out lad... Clock.. U sound? No mommy (with rolled eyes). But look what happens now.. I added a "u".
Mommy! What does that say? asks the lad
me: Cluck.
Lad: Cluck? that's a "u" sound!
me: Ah.. but tell me now.. can a clock cluck?
lad: NO! no what? A clock can't CLUCK!
(see.. it's an excellent way to work on enunciation as well). We went through the whole CL_CK family. He had a hoot. And then I wrote the words on separate pages and he was able to figure them out. :) No screaming, crying, refusal, no nothing. Just happy, willing to learn and try lad.